The DPA program is designed to prepare students to engage in and address the problems and challenges associated with the administration of public and nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and the world. Through their coursework, students explore the practice of public administration, management, and applied research in a global context, thereby enabling them to gain expertise in solving the complex problems that public organizations encounter. Graduates with a DPA degree are positioned for career opportunities in applied research, management, leadership, and the administration of public and nonprofit organizations; they can also pursue careers in consultancy with organizations that contract with public entities. Students in this program may choose from several specializations, including Geographic Information System (GIS) systems.
Upon completion of the Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) program, students will be able to:
OR
The following Doctor of Public Administration (DPA) specializations are no longer accepting new students. Current students in these specializations must complete their programs of study in accordance with Walden’s Time-to-Degree Completion policies. Changing specializations may increase a student’s expected time-to-degree completion and cost.
Students undertake courses in the following sequence.
| Quarter | Course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1 | DDPA 8003 - Foundations in Doctoral Studies | 3 credits |
|
DDPA 8405 - Ethics and Social Justice |
5 credits | |
| Quarter 2 | DDPA 8391 - Doctoral Seminar 1: Welcome to the Capstone Journey | 1 credits |
| RSCH 8110 - Research Theory, Design, and Methods | 5 credits | |
| Complete Residency 1 prior to completion of DDPA 8210. | ||
| Quarter 3 | DDPA 8390 - Strategic Context of Public Management and Leadership | 5 credits |
| DDPA 8392 - Doctoral Seminar 2: Building Knowledge and Skills | 1 credits | |
| Quarter 4 | RSCH 8210 - Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis OR RSCH 8310 - Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis | 5 credits |
| DDPA 8393 - Doctoral Seminar 3: Establishing Research Questions and Frameworks | 1 credits | |
| Complete Residency 2 prior to completion of the first DDPA 8400 Professional Administrative Study course. | ||
| Quarter 5 | DDPA 8112 - Governance and Public Policy | 5 credits |
| DDPA 8394 - Doctoral Seminar 4: Developing Methods and Maintaining Alignment | 1 credits | |
| Quarter 6 | DDPA 8382 - Public Policy and Finance | 5 credits |
| DDPA 8395 - Doctoral Seminar 5: Transition to Candidacy | 1 credits | |
| Quarter 7 | DDPA 8200 - Management Techniques for the Public Sector | 5 credits |
| DDPA 8111 - Leadership and Organizational Change | 5 credits | |
| Quarter 8 | DDPA 8210 - Analytics for Evidence-Based Decision-Making | 5 credits |
| Quarter 9+ | DDPA 8400 - Professional Administrative Study | 5 credits per term for a minimum of 4 terms; taken continuously until completion and approved by CAO |
*Students take this course for a minimum of four quarters and are continuously enrolled until completion of their doctoral study with final chief academic officer (CAO) approval. In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.
To complete a doctoral study, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee, the University Research Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the chief academic officer. Students must also publish their doctoral study on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the dissertation process in the Dissertation Guidebook.
Students who start or readmit to doctoral programs at Walden University in the university catalog for academic year 2017 or later will complete the university’s required doctoral writing assessment. Designed to evaluate incoming doctoral students’ writing skills, this assessment aims to help prepare incoming doctoral students to meet the university’s expectations for writing at the doctoral level.
In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.
Students have up to 8 years to complete their doctoral degree requirements (see Enrollment Requirements in the student handbook). Students may petition to extend the 8-year maximum time frame, but an extension is not guaranteed.
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